The Malawi Schools Project

Why School Fees Matter

Primary school in Malawi is “free”. In good times, the children are given porridge when they get to school: it’s a great incentive. The parents make a very small contribution to help pay for a watchman who is employed to take care of the food supplies. They also have to buy exercise books, pens and uniforms, which the school cannot always supply. This makes it unaffordable for some, with the result that many drop out. 

There is a fee for secondary school, and it is unaffordable for many. By UK standards, the sums involved are tiny.  Most secondary schools are Community Day Secondary Schools (CDSS), built and operated by the local community, with government support in the provision of teachers and teaching facilities. Some have been fortunate to obtain funding from external sources, but the programme is patchy.

It is an honour to be chosen for secondary school. Only those with the very best exam results are able to go forward.  In Mpasa district, over a quarter of those selected for secondary school cannot pay, or struggle to do so. And when there is famine, as now, it is worse.  It is common for children to go to school clutching a handful of dirty 20 kwacha notes (less than 1p), which they have raised by doing odd jobs, and count them out to the bursar while parents stand helplessly by.  Others simply do not go to school to claim their places. There are also examination fees for those about to take their Malawi School Certificate of Education exams. The children skip school to earn money to pay for their exams – with the inevitably disastrous effect on their examination results.

MSP’s Bursary Programme

MSP has operated a bursary programme at Mpasa CDSS since 2017, at its height supporting some 90 learners. We hope to increase the programme again from its current level of 10, and are actively looking for new sponsors for the school bursary programme.  This involves a 4 year commitment to see the learners through to their final examinations.